Your first instinct may be to seek out a bridge or overpass to park under. Though that advice may be ideal for a hailstorm, experts say there are several reasons to avoid the overpass when there is a threat of a tornado.

The reemergence of thunderstorms and warming temperatures in the forecast are a reminder that tornado season has arrived in Chicagoland.

A dangerous multi-day severe weather outbreak is set to unfold across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest beginning Saturday evening, May 16, 2026, with Sunday on track to deliver the most widespread tornado threat the United States has seen this season.

May tornado counts may trail April slightly, but severe weather risks remain high as an active jet stream keeps the Mid-Atlantic unsettled.

Missouri has been unusually active in tornadoes over the past 2 years, with 98 confirmed tornadoes in 2025 and 93 in 2024. Some have suggested that ‘Tornado Alley’ is shifting east, but the reality is that it’s expanding more than shifting. For more on that discussion, see this post from meteorologist Matt Hefner.

Tornado activity is no longer staying in the plains. New patterns show Alabama and the Southeast may be seeing increasing exposure.

Mississippi is No. 2 in the U.S. for the most tornados reported in 2026. And the end of tornado season is still weeks away. Logan Poole, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said April is the month when the state sees the most twisters.

By the time most Michiganders start thinking about tornado season, the state had already lived through one. Fifteen confirmed tornadoes have struck Michigan since early March, matching the roughly 15 twisters the state typically records in an entire calendar year,

The latest round of storms added four more confirmed tornadoes to the Kansas City/Pleasant Hill forecast area tally. See the details.

Over 530 tornadoes have already been recorded in the U.S. in 2026 with some of the most violent storms pushing further east—and north